AN AWARD-WINNING organic farmer has found a novel way of increasing productivity - playing Andrew Lloyd-Webber music to his hens.

Former firefighter turned Wirral organic farmer Steve Ledsham says egg-laying levels have shot up since he started playing music to his hens.

And Mr Ledsham has found there is nothing finer for boosting production than the sound-track from Phantom Of The Opera.

He says he has boosted the number of eggs laid by 40% since he installed a CD player in the hen coop.

He was given the music from Phantom when wife Brenda acquired two copies and he decided to try it out on his birds, with surprising results.

Mr Ledsham has run Church Farm Organics, in Thurstaston, Wirral, for more than 13 years, although the former divisional commander with Merseyside Fire Service knew nothing about farming when he bought the 60-acre farm.

He even had to get friends to teach him how to drive a tractor. The father-of-two, who lives with wife Brenda, 54, a former Birkenhead School teacher, has a son Matthew, 26, a trainee pilot, and daughter Sally, 23, who works for British Airways cabin crew.

He was a fireman for 20 years but had only ever grown a few vegetables in his back garden before embarking on his organic farming business.

He now farms sheep, pigs, lambs, ducks, goats and cattle as well as producing fruit and vegetables.

Last year Mr Ledsham beat off competition from more than 1,300 organic farms across the UK to have Church Farm named The Soil Association's best organic farm shop. He was also runner-up in the National Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards 2004.

He believes his animals should have the best quality of life possible and allows them to roam free around a huge 150ft barn.

His 300 free-range hens used to lay around 200 eggs a week, but, after being inspired by Phantom, that has been boosted by an extra 80 eggs a week.

Mr Ledsham, 55, said: "This is proof positive that classical music can make hens more productive layers.

"The organic philosophy is to give the chickens the best possible way of life, and playing music to them is part of that.

"We have definitely noticed the numbers laid have gone up since we started playing Phantom of the Opera to them.

"It's a winner - a real inspiration to them and completely in step with organic production methods."

Free Range Egg Producers Association vice chairman John Widdowson confirmed that playing music to hens is beneficial.

He said: "Playing music to hens is a way of helping them to relax and feel secure which encourages them to lay.

"It's thought that the main reason it works is that it blocks out any background noises which are prone to upset them."